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Submitted by chsfromca
April 9, 2014
Review
Positives:
1. Lots of water stops and even Cliff Shots
2. Tech shirt was nice
Negatives:
1. Very expensive. Even had a VIP option – for $50!
2. This is actually a rough trail run. I didn’t get that from the description on the website. Some of the trail is hard-packed gravel horse trails spent avoiding horse dung. Some is soft sand or loose gravel. And part is a very steep ROUGH uphill/downhill narrow large rock path. Quite dangerous. And did I say rough?
3. No bib pickup day-of-race (unless spending $50 for VIP). There were only 1,500 participants. Bib distribution could have been handled for those few runners before the race rather than making us drive up there twice.
4. Didn’t end in the Rose Bowl as advertised.
Doubt I’ll run this again.
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Submitted by AllisonHoban
January 27, 2013
Review
It figures that the first time I run a mostly trail half would also be the first time it’s even rained for one of my races. At one point, the single track we were running in (a rut with steep sides) was covered in shin-deep, rushing water. As we were walking on the side of the slope, hands braced on a tree on the other side, the guy behind me just started laughing. It was awesome. I knew going in that this was going to be a muddy race, and it was. Those shoes needed to be retired, anyway!
It was honestly the toughest course I’ve ever raced, so I just decided to take it easy and enjoy it. And, I did! Despite the crappy weather, I just got muddy and had fun with it. Probably the closest thing I’ll ever do to one of those mud runs.
Things I liked about this race:
-Course was interesting and challenging, even though it wasn’t the best for “racing” (fear the rocky, steep, narrow hill in mile 7) and wasn’t really ready for the amount of rain we got. . But, it ended on the 50 yard line of the Rose Bowl, where we were allowed to walk on the field after the race. That was a pretty neat experience.
-Volunteers were AWESOME (especially since they had to stand in the rain!). Plenty of aid stations (and they were handing out licorice, pretzels, and shot blocks in addition to just water).
-The race was the smallest I’ve ever done – fewer than 500 people in the half (there was also a 5K and 10K). I don’t know if more signed up and just didn’t show because of the weather, but runners spread out quickly on the course and were nice to each other (lead guy was cheering on everyone as he passed them going the other direction).
-Race day check in! It’s nice to only have to drive to Pasadena once instead of twice.
Things I didn’t like:
-This race was expensive! I know I signed up relatively late, but it’s the most I’ve ever paid for a race – full marathon included – at $115, plus $10 for parking. And since they didn’t have to close down any roads (the whole course was on trails through parks, or on the path around the Rose Bowl grounds) I’m not really sure where that money went…
-I never got any pre-race communications from them. I got a confirmation email from Active when I signed up, but never any “Final Race Day Instructions” emails. It was fine, because I could find it on their website, I just thought this was a little odd.
Overall a good race and a fun experience, but I probably wouldn’t do it again just because of the cost and because I’m not a big trail runner.
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Submitted by DX20
January 24, 2012
Review
I have mixed feelings about this race. I did the 5K.
Pre-race was a disaster. A complete, unmitigated disaster. I got there an hour early and I waited in line for close to 40 minutes for packet pickup. I’ve been to a lot of large races but I’ve never waited 40 minutes. There weren’t any volunteers keeping the lines in order so it was hard to tell where to go. The volunteers working in the ticket booth were going at a snail’s pace. When the half-marathon line dissipated, there were several windows open, and they still didn’t think to assist the 5K and 10Kers. The volunteer working my friend’s line was not giving out the goody bags–she had to be prompted to hand them over. The volunteer at my line WAS giving out the goody bags but completely neglected to mention that she’d stuffed my chip into the bottom of the bag.
There wasn’t a gear check, which was a bit problematic. Not everyone comes to the race in a car–or has time to go back to their car after waiting 40 minutes for their packet. I saw a lot of people carrying bags on the course.
Course: They didn’t have a gun start for the 5/10K and they didn’t really do a great job of indicating where the start was. And the volunteers by the ticket booths were useless for help with that. A lot of us were startled when the racers started moving forward, because we had no idea they’d started the clock.
They also didn’t do a great job of keeping the course clear. Even though there were cones set up, there were local random joggers dropping in and out of the course, getting in the way. At one point I ended up dodging an idiot who was running backward through the crowd.
Bright point: The volunteers working the course–especially the ones on the second mile, who seemed to be about 10 years old–were absolutely adorable and helpful. 🙂 They were seriously awesome.
Post-race: This was the highlight of the race. Whether you’re a fan of football or not–I am not–running down the chute and into the Rose Bowl is a trip. There was a lot of encouragement in the stadium. As I ran the last few meters, someone on the sidelines shouted “finish STRONG!” and it really buoyed me up again. The announcer did a great job of acknowledging everyone as they crossed the finish line, even the 5Kers who weren’t the fastest.
I did like this race, but the problems at check in really put a damper on the rest of the day.
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Submitted by Lindsay Scott
January 22, 2012
Review
What a challenging race! I was not familiar with the area, so I was ready to be surprised. Be prepared for narrow trails and a good amount of hills (most of which I had to walk up and because of the loose rocks and roots I also had to walk down. There were a few times that the trail narrowed to the point that I came to a complete stop and was shoulder-to-shoulder with other runners. Dont expect to run your normal half time and if you do, you are rock star status. I arrived at 7am, so I really did not have any issues with parking. The post race was not that big, but I would expect that to grow as the race gets established and more runners show up. The only thing that I had an issue with was that I passed up water at the first station (mile 1ish) and when we looped around (mile 4ish) there were no more water cups at the table and they were “waterfalling” water and Gatorade. I passed that up because I think that is just inviting germs. The next statation was a mile 5, so I did not get a drink until then. When all is said and done, I will run this race again next year. In fact, I plan to use it as a LAM training run….
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Submitted by HB Runner
January 10, 2012
Review
Good, not great was my experience with this race. As anyone knows that has been to an event at the Rose Bowl, parking is a pain. Best to get there early and bring your pre-race meal. The course is a little different than others. It has some trail running, which I prefer, as it winds through the golf course and park. There are also some hills that can be challenging with a race of this distance, so be prepared. The best part of the race is the finish. Pretty cool to have the finish line insde the Rose Bowl. But then you’re fighting traffic again on your way out. Without the problems of getting to and from the event, this race would be an “A” for me. I will likely do it again this year…
